IRREVOCABLE TRUTH #7: Seek His
face, not an outcome. When we face challenging times, it’s so easy to put our
faith in our idea of what the answer must be. We get sick, and we set our eyes
on being made well. Our husband loses his job, and we put our faith in the new
job that just has to be right around the corner. We receive bad news, and we
put our faith in what we determine will make it better. Naturally, we set our
eyes on a particular conclusion, and when it doesn’t become a reality, we
question God. Or maybe we expect nothing from God so we won’t be disappointed.
Perhaps we chalk everything up to His sovereignty, and we passively resign
ourselves to the position of door mat. What I’m saying might be ruffling some
feathers, so hear me out. I’m not saying we shouldn’t ask for a particular
outcome and have faith in His power to bring that about. I’m not saying we
don’t claim His promises for ourselves, asking in faith and believing we will
receive. I’m not saying that we deny the sovereignty of God, ever. What I am
saying is that we set our focus on the only real answer, and that is God
Himself. Not what He can do. Not what He can cause. Not what He can solve. He
is more than able. But as Psalm 27:7-9 says, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my
voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face,
Lord, I will seek.” Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your
servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me nor forsake me, O
God of my salvation” (emphasis mine). He IS
the answer. He IS our great
reward. He IS our salvation. Him and
Him alone. And if He never does another thing for us, that is enough.
When His face is all we seek, we
will always have what we need. How many times do we fall into the trap of
waiting for something to meet our expectations because then we’ll be happy? As
soon as I’m a comfortable size 4 again, then I’ll be happy! When my face clears
up and my skin looks like that of a porcelain doll, then I’ll be satisfied. When
my husband knows exactly how to make me feel better without me saying a word,
then everything will be okay. When my children do what I ask the first time
every time, then life will be good. When there’s always more money in the
checkbook than we need at the end of the month, then we will have arrived.
Don’t we all have “when…then” scenarios? In the meantime, we wait discontentedly
with our unmet expectations, and we miss out on God’s face and grace in the now.
When we are seeking His face and His face only, we will be in a constant state
of satisfaction, and many times, we’ll find ourselves amazed that the Lord is
working everything else out better than we could have asked or imagined. It
really is true what Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
IRREVOCABLE TRUTH #8: When He
works all things together for good, His good is to conform us to the image of
Christ. Romans 8:28 has to be one of the all-time most quoted scriptures. Why
wouldn’t it be? It tells us, “And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
For years, my understanding (which we now know is a dangerous thing!) of good
was whatever I determined was a good
solution to my dilemma. Challenged with a miserable marriage, I would imagine
good as the perfect marriage. Facing financial problems, I would imagine good
as the absence of money issues (namely, shortages!). Facing insecurity, I would
imagine good as unshakable self-confidence. Facing unpleasant tasks, I would
imagine good as the absence of burdensome responsibilities. Facing issues with
my body image, I would imagine good as finally attaining the perfect figure
without effort or restrictions to my diet. I think you get the picture. One
day, God flipped on a light in my head and the scales fell from my eyes when I
read Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God’s
good isn’t necessarily going to line up with my idea of good. His good is always
going to be that I be more like Jesus, and just as Jesus learned obedience
through suffering, so do we.
When we call on His name, He
answers. It may not be the answer we desire or expect, but it will be for our
good and for the advancement of His purpose and His kingdom. Are we willing for
things to go wrong in our lives in order for them to go right for God?
Psalm 17:15 says, “As for me, I
will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your
likeness.” Lord, let that be my measure of satisfaction today and always. I
seek Your face, and Your face alone, trusting that You are working everything
together to conform me to the image of Christ. And that is my source of
satisfaction.
Seeking His face to become more
wholly His today,
Shauna Wallace
Holy His
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